Abstract
Structural integrity of either a passenger car or a light truck is one of the basic requirements for a full vehicle engineering and development program. The results of the vehicle product performance are measured in terms of ride and handling, durability, noise/vibration/harshness(NVH), crashworthiness and occupant safety. The level of performance of a vehicle directly affects the marketability, profitability and, most importantly, the future of the automobile manufacturer. In this study, we used the virtual proving ground(VPG) approach for obtaining the dynamic characteristics. VPG approach uses a nonlinear, dynamic, finite element code(LS-DYNA3D) which expands the application boundary outside the classic linear, antic assumptions. VPG approach also uses realistic boundary conditions of tire/road surface interactions. To verify the predicted dynamic results, a single lane change test has been performed. The prediction results were compared with the experimental test results, and the feasibility of the integrated CAE analysis methodology was verified.